Chili pepper in beer

Some of them are well done and integrate the chile presence into the beer quite well. Others are mere gimmicks that I can't imagine any sensible person drinking for enjoyment (see Ghost Face Killah).

 

Here's one to share, and make it your last of the day:
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/23/65230

 

I have had some chili beers that are horrible and some that are great. Cave Creek is a really bad one. I also had one that was a little too spicy where it actually ruined the flavor of the beer. Can't remember the name off the top of my head though but I did review it.

 

Chile peppers are like hops. What one person finds to be nicely balanced is bland to another. Some people go for as much pepper as humanly possible. And then they add a little more.

Lots of good examples posted in this thread but my personal favorite was the New Belgium Cocoa Mole. Unbelievably good. Theobroma from DFH is similar but not as good. Night Shift (MA) makes a nice one called Viva Habanera which is a rye beer with habaneros and agave nectar to sweeten it up a little. Hell, I thought even Ghost Face Killah was pretty good, myself. Only one I hated was that Cave Creek Crap.

Dope

 

I too liked the subtle spicy feeling pepper flavor that helped shape this beer. Anyone know how it is doing now? Pepper flavor fade over time??

 

A good, thoughtful post, though I feel I should mention that the Tropical Heat Edition also has mango in it. They've made Ruination with just Habeneros before and while its pretty good, i think the mangos really pull everything together.

 

I never had much of an opinion about chili flavor in beer. Even Kuhnhenn disappointed me with their habanero wheat offering. This would be up until a couple days ago when I was introduced to Mayan Mocha Stout from Odd Side Ales. This beer packs a serious kick, like almost leaves you coughing kick, yet somehow manages to remain balanced with the heavy chocolate and coffee flavors there to serve as the backbone. That Mexican Cake Stout pictured above looks like it might have a similar profile. Consider me impressed.

 

Fatali Four from Upright Brewing is one of my favorites, a sour saison dosed with fatali chilis for a kick of heat,

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/19866/54116

A sour saison dosed with fatali chilis for a kick of heat, it is really fun to see how the brett character interacts with the heat from the chilis, basically a roller coaster for your mouth.

 

Hunahpu's is the perfect example of how to do chili peppers right in a beer. The pepper taste is well blended into the beer and the heat is more of a prickle in the back of your throat rather than an actual burn, plus it helps dry the beer out at the end which makes it not seem as thick and heavy as it is.

Ghost Face Killah is the perfect example of how to do chili peppers wrong in a beer. All pepper and heat, no actual beer flavor.

 

Not sure which one I had. The key was that it was still an IPA and the habanero was firm but not overwhelming

 

Ghost Face Killah is somewhat split for me. It opens with a sort-of golden or medium-bodied ale taste, and the pepper kick comes on the finish. I like it because it is split into those two different notes that contrast quite a bit, but it's much more of chile and beer than a chile beer.

By contrast, CIB in Carson, Iowa has a beer called Orange Scorpion that integrates the pepper (jalapenos and habaneros) taste into the beer much better. I enjoy chile beers from time to time, but I've never had one I'd drink more than one or two of in a night.

 

I'm having a Clown Shoes Chocolate Sombrero right now - I'm not enjoying it all that much. It's kind of a muddled mess. Love the label art though.

 

A good point that also relates to the Mayan Mocha that I mentioned. Chili heat as a means of drying out excessive sweetness is something that never crossed my mind until now.

 

Obviously it's personal preference. But if someone enjoys Chile/pepper style beers, there are some great options.
Copper Kettle Mexican Chocolate Stout, Twisted Pine Billy's Chilies, Wynkoop Patty's Chile and Yak and Yeti Jalapeno Lena.
So, OK they happen to be all Denver based beer companies, but it remains they are delicious pepper-based beers.
Ghost Face Killah is a whole different entity: it is a novelty beer that works great cooked into a chili or something of that sort. Drinking it straight is nothing more than a college fraternity hazing.

Recently I've had a Hardywood Chocolate Heat, it wasn't bad. But if you're going to advertise heat, I want some heat. It was fairly light on that front. Good, but not great. I want the name to match the taste.

 

I found 4 pints of 27 year old homebrew strong brown ale (in Grolsch Dark poptop bottles) that I tucked away in the cellar and forgot about ... forever. Popped one in the fridge and tried it now. Of course, the hop flavors are long gone. But there's still good maltiness and the booziness is quite pleasant. Slight sour finish (not vinegary in the slightest, but a little yeasty). Why am I posting it here? Because it really would have benefited from some habanero flavor in it...

 

Westbrook's "Mexican Cake" is brewed with habaneros and it's one of my favorite stouts. Tasty.

 

The conversation should have ended at Odd Side Ales Mayan Mocha Stout. Best beer that's used pepper -ever.

 

Surprised no one has mentioned Habanero Sculpin. A well done beer and that spiciness is so interesting as it hits the back of your throat, which is different from other spiciness.

In the end, I don't think think IPA works well with chili.

I just wish I got my hands on Mexican Cake...

 

I've developed a love chile beers so much I've just started to do my own concoctions.

Currently drinking a Centennial IPA quick-infused (15 minutes) with off-the-vine serrano peppers. Beer goes into a sealed travel mug with chopped up peppers in fridge for 15 minutes...strained into glass. It's so simple to do, and SO GOOD! DO IT!

 

use in saisons